Just Keep Breathing, Dragonborn
by redpetal888
Summary: The (unknowing) Dragonborn has never left her cozy home of Artaeum in the Summerset Isles. But when tensions start rising between the Aldmeri Dominion and Skyrim, her cousin disappears. When she goes to Skyrim to look for him, a world-shattering chain of events change her life. Can she stay alive without losing herself? (Farengar/Dragonborn) (Cicero/Dragonborn)
1. Entering Skyrim

(A/N: This story should be considered sort of AU. I only recently started playing Skyrim, and I'm kind of taking my own take on the world for this story. But I hope you'll read it anyway :3 )

It was a dark and stormy night, the streets filled with rain. Different papers (and sometimes the unlucky person) could be found blowing around, half-sensless from the weather's battering.

It was nearly impossible to see outside, and most of the towne's people were inside, huddled around fires and drinking mead to feel warm.  
Most of them were reasonably happy, no real cause for discomfort other than not being able to venture outside.

On the other hand, there were those who were stuck outside- for varying reasons, the odd travelor or adventureor could be found, stumbling around the city's cobblestone streets in a most disorderly fashion.

One in particular, a tall nordic woman, seemed to be having trouble.  
"By the divines, this wind is ridiculous!" she cried, almost falling headfirst into a mud puddle that seemingly came from nowhere. She managed to avoid it by staggering forward and up once more, almost falling down again in the process.  
At last, when the woman steadied herself, she managed to step forward, continuing to trek through the unbelievable storm.  
It would be evident to any observant person that she was unfamiliar with the land- a foreigner, struggling with the new terrain and formatting of the townes.

And she WAS a foreigner- having only been to Skyrim once before in her lifetime, she was having difficulty coping.

She made her way towards the inn (which, despite the tiny size of the towne, was hard to find) and opened the door, sighing and letting it fall shut with a loud bang.  
Quite a few eyes turned towards her, and she blushed with slight embarrassment.  
'At least this isn't as bad as when I walked into Falkreath...without my clothes', she thought to herself, remembering with a slight amount of amusment the first and only other time she had been to Skyrim. Yes, Falkreath had been the highlight of that trip...

Her blue eyes gazed around the inn, noting the fire, the bard, and the sign on one of the walls. 'The Sleeping Giant Inn', it read.  
Recognizing the name almost instantly, the woman smiled. 'I'm in Riverwood! Haven't been here in..years...' since her trip.

Her thoughts were (rather rudely) interrupted by a woman who must have been the innkeeper, telling her to rent a room or buy some food, or to otherwise leave.  
'Well, Delphine hasn't changed a bit,' the woman thought.

"Alright, I'd like to rent a room for the night," she said, handing over the ten gold required. The innkeeper nodded, and, stepping forward slightly, asked for her name.

"Kora," she replied. "Is a last name necessary, or am I ok?" A slight feeling of uneasiness crept up through her. If she had to give a name, she might be found out...  
"No last name required," the Innkeeper said, seemingly dismissing the look on her face. Kora nodded, feeling relieved. She also scolded herself mentally- asking that question was a sure way to arise suspicion! She made the mental note to never do it again. She would have a fake surname ready, if it were ever required.

After being shown to her room, Kora collapsed on the bed, nearly unconcious from exhaustion. Perhaps trekking through the mountains rather than taking the carriage had been a bad idea...

Kora rested for a few moments before sitting up once more, groaning softly, her body not wanting to comply.  
"Come on now, it's not that bad," she murmured under her breath.  
Once she was fully awake, she reached into her pouch (the one thing she had to carry supplies) and pulled out a letter.

'Dear Kora,  
It's Faedducis. I am alive and well, contrary to what you heard in the Summerset Isles. I'm staying somewhere in Skyrim, but I cannot tell you where, in case this letter gets intercepted by one of my enemies.  
I need you to come to Skyrim and try to find me. Summerset is not safe for you or me anymore. I can't tell you more until you arrive...I am sorry.  
Once you arrive, search for a man named Farengar. Tell him you're a friend of mine, and he'll help you find me.  
I cannot say any more than this.  
I hope to see you.  
-Faefae'  
Kora smiled at the pet name he had used.

She had received the letter two months prior, and had just arrived in Skyrim. Kora was disgruntled by her cousin's uneasiness. What had happened for him to be so cautious? What was going on?  
That was among the many things she hoped to find out on this journey.

So far, everything had gone well- Kora had managed to sneak past imperial guards to get into Skyrim (easier than planned) and had traversed the new terrain with minimal difficulties. The only real problem she was having was this man named Farengar- how in the name of oblivion was she supposed to locate a single man within a huge country without any help?! And without a surname, no less.

Kora sighed, choosing to dismiss the thought. Instead, she preferred to think of the Summerset Isles, which she had called home until very recently. Tensions between the Aldmeri Dominion and Skyrim had been rising, and the elves in her home were somewhat suspicious of her, as a nord rather than a fellow elf.  
Elves were the primary race of Summerset Isle, and while Skyrim was far more diverse, it was known for having a large number of nords. So, after a while, she had fallen under a bit of suscpicion.

Kora suspected that this was part of the reason Faedducis had left the Isles- one night, she returned to the home that they shared with her younger sister only to find that he was gone. Apart from the letter, he had hinted that he was in danger of some kind, related to the conflicts between the Aldmeri Dominion and Skyrim.  
Had he been attacked or something, perhaps forced to leave somehow? She didn't know, but guessed it was something of the like.

The woman sighed once more, folding the letter and returning it to her pouch. She was in Skyrim, so part of her quest was finished. But still...how was she supposed to find a single man in a huge country?

"I'll worry about that later," she grumbled to herself, setting her pouch on the little side table to the left of her bed and laying down.  
"In the morning."

(A/N: Well...This is my new story! It forced itself out of my head. And don't worry, I won't be neglecting A World of Shattered Memories. I just wanted to try writings something of a new subject- since Naruto has been the only fandom I've written a substantial fanfiction for before. :) Sorry this chapter is kinda slow. But things should pick up a bit during the next chapter! It will sort of go along with game plot, but I'll be changing a lot of dialogue and throwing a lot of my own stuff in here. Just to let you know...And, after a while, I'll be taking the story in a direction completely my own. :) Reviews are love. So is constructive criticism, if you spot any punctuation/grammer/spelling errors (Please tell me and I'll correct them)) 


	2. An Unexpected Development

Chapter 2

Kora awoke with an irritating pain in the back of her neck. Having shifted onto her stomach during her sleep, her neck had been craned at a rather extreme angle for eight hours- producing a soreness that was not likeable.  
"Damn," she mumbled, reaching a hand back to rub at the sore muscle. Sitting up, she slid her feet around the bed so that they were hanging off the edge, and she could stand up at any point if she wanted to.

She was already in a rather grumpy mood- rather than having peace and restful dreams after such a long journey, she had been plagued by nightmares, keeping rest away. Kora felt no more rested than she had the previous night.

And if that weren't enough, she had a pounding headache as well- something one would expect after drinking a bit too much mead, or any alcoholic beverage for that matter. But Kora hadn't drinken anything. For a long time, she had harboured a distaste for the bitter alcoholic drinks in Artaeum, her previous home in the Summmerset Isles, and she doubted there would be a difference with it in Skyrim.

But, then again, food and drink tended to change along with the cultures... that tended to happen, from country to country. So maybe Skyrim's alchohol wouldn't be that bad...but that wasn't the point!  
The point was that she had a pounding headache, similar to that of a hangover, and yet hadn't drunk a drop of alcohol in years.

Which meant, blastedly, that she was probably sick. Which, in turn, was worse.

It was hard enough traveling alone while strong and healthy, but tired and sick? Kora would be miserable! She was already dreading the thought of having to leave the Inn.  
'Or, perhaps I'm overeacting,' she thought, groaning. 'After all, I've never really had a high pain or disease tolerance...' 'Besides, it's just a headache. It'll pass soon."

Three hours later, and it turned out Kora's inner voice had been right- her headache had miraculously stopped, she was no longer tired, and she was almost ready to leave for exploring once more!  
She smiled, her mood lifted.  
'Perhaps adventuring for a bit while looking for Faedducis will do me some good...and it'll be some fun, too...'

Kora left the Sleeping Giant Inn with the same cheerful aura, even humming a soft tune to show off her merriment. Her spirits for searching for this 'Farengar' man had been revived. For now, things were going well...

The mountainous forest was all but silent, except for the constant tap of Kora's footsteps. But even those sounds, soft against the small pebbles on the path, were barely audible. A lone crow could be heard, and the wind whistled through the trees at it's own merry pace.

It was...quiet. Almost too quiet. There should have been more birds chirping, deer and rabbits scurrying, squirrels screeching at eachother as they fought over nuts or other food. But none of these noises were present.  
All that registered in Kora's mind was the crowing of the crow, and the whistling of the wind. That should have been a sign to her that something was off; when normal animals weren't present it was usually a sign of danger.

But for some reason, Kora did not think of this. She was too deeply lost in thought, thinking of what would happen in the future, to really notice her surroundings.

That was a mistake. A big one.

For all at once, out of no-where, the silence was shattered. Where there once was emptiness and peace, there was now fire and screams. The world around her seemed to blur.  
Kora was aware of people; lots of people. Running, yelling, slashing, hitting eachother...  
Occasionally, there was a spray of blood. But all the while, she could not hear any of it. The world around her had gone silent...

All of a sudden, there was a pain in her head. A dull, but rapidly growing pain, which spread out over her skull. It hurt...it hurt a lot...  
Kora cried out, shielding her head, trying to protect it from any further damage. Had someone attacked her? She couldn't tell.

For there were spots clouding her vision, and even beyond them the world was...so...blurry...

Then, everything went black.  
-

The next thing she heard, or, at least, THOUGHT she heard was a moan. Or possibly a groan. Something of the like. If no clear discriptional word could be used, it was simply an unhappy-sounding noise, low in pitch, probably from a male.

It was really the thing Kora felt like doing at the moment.  
Her head hurt intensely, and the first movement she made in conciousness was a wince fom pain.  
The next few were more like jostles than movements- she was sitting on something, something that was irregularly rocking to the sides, sometimes the front, at varying speeds and forces. It made her head hurt even worse, especially when she bashed her head on something wooded, the frame of whatever it was she was in.

Kora, without opening her eyes, came to the conclusion that she was on a moving vehicle through a rocky area. That was the only real thought that she could get through her mind, her thoughts being mostly scattered.  
Her head, apparently, had some damage to it...

When at last she decided to open her eyes, she was greeted with quite a surprise.  
"So, you're finally awake...  
It didn't take her long to figure out from the blue and grey cloak, and the very obviously Nordish features that she was staring straight into the eyes of a Stormcloak.

"Um...y-yes..." was her quiet reply. Kora's face turned pink with embarassment. What was she supposed to do? She felt scared, quite scared, by this man.

He seemed to notice, and, smirking, replied, "Calm down, sweetheart, I won't bite. Or, rather...I can't bite. We all have our hands bound, if you'd care to notice..."  
That calmed her somewhat.  
The fact that he couldn't reach out to strangle her was definitely comforting. But that wasn't the only thing... there was a strange twinkle in his eyes, something of...what was it? Friendliness? Kindness?  
Impossible.  
He was a Stormcloak...

Despite growing up so far away, in Artaeum, she had heard quite monstrous tales of the rebels who had murdered High King Toryyg and were continuing to fight against the empire.

"Ah. This is your first time seeing one of us, ain't it?" He implied, smirking once more.  
"Yes.."  
"Well, you should know that we're not all the terrible, bloodthirsty thugs that the Empire makes us out to be. Hell, most of us are pretty nice, if you get to know us," he said, chuckling slightly.

Kora felt a slight smile tugging at her features. This guy seemed interesting...perhaps she could find a little bit of distraction from the current situation and listen to him instead of stressing.

"My name's Ralof, by the way." He then motioned to the other two people in the prison carriage. "That's Lokir, the horse thief, and that's..." his voice trailed off momentarily when he came to the gagged man. "That's Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the rebellion, and the true High King of Skyrim."

Kora blinked, a feeling of shock spreading through her. Ulfric Stormcloak! If they had managed to capture him, then the whole rebellion could crumble, instantly!  
And then another realization crept through her.

"If that's Ulfric Stormcloak...if they've captured him...the place he's headed...can't be good...and we're going where-ever that is too..."  
The smirks had faded from Ralof's face, a look of grimness replacing it, already knowing what Kora was connecting.

"We're going to be executed, aren't we?"  
He nodded solemnly.

"We'll be in Sovengarde soon. It's best not to think about it, sweetheart. I know this isn't fair, 'specially to you. You got caught up in an ambush by the Imperials... and it's cost you your life."

The sure grimness of the situation struck Kora as almost funny- and she laughed. "Well that sucks," she giggled, feeling unexplainably light-hearted. It was as if burdens had been lifted, as if she were ready to die? That didn't make sense.

Ralof grinned.  
"Sure does," he agreed.

In this strange way, the rest of the time passed, instead of the usual dreaful foreboding before an execution, their time was spent smiling, making jokes, and having a good time.

It was a good way to end a life, in Kora's opinion.

Soon, they would arrive at the Imperial Stronghold. Soon, they would meet their doom.  
Helgen.

And she would go out laughing in their faces.

End of Chapter 2 (A/N: Well...err...I typed this chapter all out in about an hour o.o. I just...couldn't stop... And sorry about getting Ralof a bit ooc. I just love thinking of him using Sweetheart as a nickname. But don't get the wrong idea about this story-  
this isn't a Ralof/Dragonborn fic. This will eventually turn into a sort of romance fic...not telling with who thought :P But for the most part, this story is going to be centered around Kora's...mental issues. She starts having...problems, after certain things happen...I can't give away spoilers :P Unless you PM me...then I might tell you if you asked :P As always, constructive criticism is appreciated, flaming is not.  
Please Review Reviews are love :D)

P.S. Yes, I am aware that Artaeum dissapppeared about 100 years prior to the civil war in Skyrim. But I would like to keep it in for the plotline of this story (since it doesn't really affect much) and basically what happened is that the major cities/establishments dissappeared, and now there are just a few very small townes there.  
You get the basic idea, right?  
Please?  
:)


End file.
